(S07E18) Wow... I guess the whole "six-week spring break" tradition for Gilmore Girls has been carried over from the WB to the CW. But we're back with what might be the final five episodes of GG, and it looks like we're moving somewhat rapidly towards the series' inevitable conclusion.But first, let me tell you why Taylor Doose is one of the most irritating characters in the history of television.
In the seven years GG has been on the air, we haven't seen one moment when Taylor's been anything but a pain in the backsides of his fellow Stars Hollow residents. Apparently, he remains town selectman ("He's like the mayor and Don Corleone rolled into one," observed Logan) only because no one else wants to do the job, as we found out when Jackson was elected -- and soon gave the job back to Taylor -- last year. Otherwise, all we've seen is a Taylor that a) does what he feels like, even if voted down by the entire town, b) prattles on about something or other involving subjects no one cares about, and c) uses Kirk like his own whipping boy.
In the meantime, the only scintilla of humanity we've ever seen from him is how sad he was when Jackson won that election. So he's a mean, selfish egomaniac whose whole existence is wrapped up in leading a tiny New England town. Jeez, even M*A*S*H had the heart to give Frank Burns a redeeming quality or two.
So now we have the hay bale maze. Sure, things turned out for the best; everyone was mesmerized by the maze and Taylor had to spend the entire Spring Fling fighting back a severe allergy attack. But to decimate the budget and block off the stores just felt like Taylor at his worst. And, because the writers never gave the viewers a chance to be sympathetic with him, every time he abuses the town for his own amusement makes me want to see him banished from the show forever.
Whew. Ok, that was way too much about Taylor, wasn't it? Anyway, it's amazing to me that Logan hasn't been in Stars Hollow until now. But I guess that, after seeing how everyone reacted to Christopher, bringing outsiders, especially wealthy ones, in the town is something a person has to ease into.
I noticed that when the episode opened, we had to assume a lot of information: 1) that Logan lost his apartment, 2) that he's been cut off from the Huntzberger ATM, and 3) that he's decided to bunk with Rory -- and Paris and Doyle -- for the time being (I'm into making lists today). Lorelai was right to question Logan's dedication to getting back on his feet, and it was interesting to see her play "concerned serious mom" yet again, something she's done with all of Rory's serious boyfriends, as she said to Sookie. The role looks good on her. Logan actually managed to convince her that he realizes how big he screwed up and that he wants to get back on track quickly. Whether he comes through or not, well... that's another matter.
By the way, just a note to Rosenthal and the other writers: Providence is a pretty nice city. I go up there often because I have a friend that lives there, and, while it's not Manhattan, it's got a nice downtown, great restaurants, and that unmistakable New England charm. And diners. Lots of diners. Anyway, they made Providence, and the Providence Journal, look like a backwater town with a tiny paper. I'm glad Rory decided to pass on the job for the right reasons -- she really wanted that fellowship -- and not because she thought Providence was a bad place to live.
Boy, April's grown up quickly, hasn't she? Nice new specs on her. Now that she's not a plot contrivance anymore, I always like seeing her on screen. Anyway, that mutual apology in the hay maze was a long time coming, wasn't it? Like the last few episodes, it really feels like the words coming out of Luke's and Lorelai's mouths are directed more towards the viewers than towards each other. He's sorry he shut Lorelai out when April first came into his life, and she's sorry she ran to Christopher the second things blew up with Luke. Yadda yadda yadda. So, the thaw begins. Next week, Lorelai steps into Luke's diner for the first time since the breakup. Let's see where this leads, and how long it'll take to get there.
Three more interesting things:
- Paris has been hilarious in her brief appearances this year, and this was no exception: her specialized uses for her milk, calling Doyle "lactose sensitive" and equating it to Tobey Maguire's sensitivity, ordering Logan to wash the dishes. All good.
- Lane and Zack's twins are named Kwan (or is it Quan?) and Steve. Interesting. And I love how Zack thinks he memorized the maze in order to make his deliveries faster. That's Zack to a T.
- What's the Yale contingent's obsession with The New York Times? I like the paper too, but there's hundreds of papers, magazines, and web sites that a budding journalist can land after college. Heck, they're better off freelancing for them then trying to land one of those hard-to-get entry-level spots there.
It was a nice, lighthearted episode, though I wished they pushed the Luke/Lorelai plot a little but further, given the limited number of episodes left. It's one of the better episodes of the season, but on our 1 to 7 scale, it merits a 5. If we had the ratings system in the first half of the year, most of those episodes wouldn't have come close to that, believe me.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-17-2007 @ 11:03PM
David said...
I don't know why everyone thinks the show is ending.
7th Heaven, GG, VM are supposedly dead, that's like half of the shows CW has. Smallville ends next year, CW needs shows this year to keep the channel alive.
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4-17-2007 @ 11:26PM
Meg said...
Does anyone know the song Grant Lee Phillips was playing at the end of this episode? I forgot record this episode on my DVR. :(
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4-17-2007 @ 11:27PM
Tammy said...
David.... well unless Alexis has signed a contract recently, it's not coming back.
Good solid episode. Nice mix of town people. Funny silly sub plot. We actually had Rory and Lorelai in the same place. Only thing missing were Emily and Richard but we can't have it all.
Now the current writing team has to explain things too much. Before we either got it or we didn't but the show didn't provide an explanation. I would have to rewatch it for the exact example of what I'm talking about but West Wing did it too when Sorkin left. If you have to explain the joke, it's not that funny. Also how heavy handed was the Rory and Logan at a crossroad thing in the maze. Yeah, I know, I'm one of the few who likes Rory and Logan together so I see where this is going.... :-P
I missed my Gilmore Girls and this was the perfect episode after such a log break. It's been a long two days for us and we needed this.
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4-17-2007 @ 11:40PM
Joel Keller said...
Tammy, thanks for mentioning the "crossroads in the hay maze" scene. I forgot to write about that. Not exactly subtle, was it? Maybe I forgot about it on purpose.
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4-18-2007 @ 2:18AM
Paul Little said...
Was Tobey Maguire being mentioned in the episode? I recall Jake Gyllenhaal and Orlando Bloom, but not him.
Anyway, it was glad to see the show back, and it was a pretty good return. Here's hoping for a 13-episode Season 8 to clear everything up in a good amount of time.
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4-18-2007 @ 2:19AM
Diana said...
Tammy,
Looks like you may be wrong about an 8th. We'll see in a few days.
As for the episode, I was really annoyed with the dueling maze symbolism. First there was the obvious fork in the road for Rory/Logan but then there was the Luke shows Lorelai the way out. Walter Murch has a theory that sometimes it IS best to cut the most obvious, ridiculous scenes out of a movie in order to make the rest of the film better.
If GG does return for an 8th season I really hope there's a new writing staff on board.
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4-18-2007 @ 11:35AM
marah said...
yeah, it was definitely jake gyllenhall, who paris "wouldn't kick out of bed" or something.
kwan and steve cracked me up. at the same time, i'm kinda sad we see zach more than lane now. love her!
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4-18-2007 @ 11:57AM
KC said...
I very much enjoyed this episode. I think it may have been the best one of the season. We say Gypsy and Maury and the Troubador. It feels like they are reaching back to the things that made the show great in the early seasons. I guess this may be why it feels like its ending, like the show is coming full circle.
I particularly enjoyed the Rory/Lorelai interaction over the interview and the job. I feel as invested as Lorelai does in Rory being all grown up from the little bookworm in Season 1.
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4-18-2007 @ 12:03PM
Joel Keller said...
I know Paris mentioned Jake G. But I also think she mentioned Tobey Mcguire, and his name was easier to type, so I picked that one. :)
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4-18-2007 @ 4:40PM
Georgia said...
What was up with Logan using the "n-word" when comparing Stars Hollow to colonial Williamsburg? I was shocked!
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4-18-2007 @ 5:47PM
Joel Keller said...
Oops.... just watched the tape again. Paris did only mention Orlando Bloom and Jake G. Guess you folks have better ears than I do. Then how did I hear Tobey Mcguire?
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4-19-2007 @ 9:09AM
todd2000 said...
yes, was that what logan said? the n word. my wife and i were shocked. we were sure we heard it wrong. did we?
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4-20-2007 @ 6:48AM
GoodmanAce said...
This episode was just too thin. The writers have just been shaving layers and layers off the show to the point where the audience can now anticipate the arcs. Rory wants the fellowship, so Rory's gonna get the fellowship. This whole "Whatever Rory wants, Rory gets," thing is probably one of the seminal reasons this show can't last another twenty episodes: unless they introduce some real adversity into the life of this "kid," we're just watching an eight-year fairy-tale run its course.
Lorelei, the show's foundation, has become a foil for the inflated slap-stick milieu of what's now officially a Roald Dahl-ian town. It didn't have to be this way.
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4-20-2007 @ 5:10PM
Tim King said...
Yeah, Paris mentioned Jake Gyllenhaal and Orlando Bloom. "I wouldn't throw Jake Gyllenhaal out of bed." See: http://gilmore-ism.com/node/534
The Grant-Lee Phillips song is from his new album. See: http://gilmore-ism.com/node/557
-TimK
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4-21-2007 @ 12:01PM
stracciatella said...
logan said knickers...he didn't use the "n-word"
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4-22-2007 @ 1:01AM
Bill said...
I bet that maze was a ton of fun. I went through one (permanent, made of wood, not hay) in Ft. Worth, TX, once, and it was great.
http://popculturejunk.blogspot.com/
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4-22-2007 @ 7:30PM
DeAnn said...
I agree with Goodman Ace thqat this ep was thin at best. And it DID feel exactly like Lorelai and Luke were talking to the viewers and not to each other to apologise about their past relationship errors...how cheezy is that? And it seemed to me like they sort of phoned it in, there was no real emotional impact in their acting at all. It was a boring, meandering sort of episode that was as irritating and ridiculous as Taylors maze. I agree with Keller that Taylor is just worthless as a character. He's obnoxious, pushy and prissy, and I wish they'd have someone run over his character so the town wouldn't have to be subjected to his whims.
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